


Waiting on Sunshine

by ArgentSleeper



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fights, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:11:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11116752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentSleeper/pseuds/ArgentSleeper
Summary: Merlin has spent 1178 days waiting on Arthur.





	Waiting on Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Please see profile for notes

 

Some people counted down the days to Christmas. Some people (his mother), knew the exact number of days until their next birthday. But Merlin, he had only one day he always kept track of. He'd started counting 1178 days ago, and now it was almost here. In just 11 days, Arthur's contract with the British Army would be up, and they would be free.

For nearly two-thirds of the time he and Arthur had been together, they had been on opposite sides of the planet. Well, perhaps it hadn't been quite that far, but it wasn't like Merlin could just take a weekend to pop down and visit his boyfriend while he was on deployment. If he never used video chat again it would be too soon. That was, when Arthur could manage to get computer time. Or even phone time. Luckily letter writing was not a lost art on a military base. But Merlin didn't want to just hear Arthur's voice or even see his face. He craved the touch of his skin. And in 11 days, he would have his fill.

Merlin had planned a trip for them beginning on Arthur's first day of freedom. They hadn’t been able to visit Merlin's mother in the three years they'd been together. The brief periods of time Arthur was on leave were too precious to waste even an hour in the car, let alone three. But now Arthur would get to meet Hunith, and she would get to meet the man Merlin had plans to be with forever. He hoped they liked each other. They seemed to get along on the phone, but as Merlin knew all too well, everything was different in person.

He'd been planning this trip for the past six months, but now that the day was so close at hand he'd begun gathering items and arranging them so they might actually fit in the boot of their old car. Before they spent two whole weeks with his mother, Merlin was going to drag Arthur to the fanciest hotel six months of savings could afford (Arthur deserved the best, after all) and ravage him stupid. Such opulence would be necessary because Merlin's mother wanted to take them camping for a weekend like the old days of his youth, and it would take all of Merlin's charm to convince Arthur to spend even one more night roughing it in the middle of nowhere.

He was still semi-preoccupied with his list when Arthur was finally able to video chat with him that night. While he chewed aimlessly on a turkey sandwich (Arthur always insisted on watching him eat lunch; he said he didn't trust Merlin to take care of himself otherwise), he checked off the items on his list he'd already packed.

“Arthur, where have your wellies gotten to? Gwaine doesn't still have them does he?”

“He better not, he borrowed those ages ago,” Arthur rolled his eyes, but Merlin mentally made plans to ring Gwaine and threaten him with replacing his porn with nature documentaries. “Why? They don't even fit you.”

Merlin snorted. That was an understatement. Arthur had clearly been born part clown. “Not for me, clotpole. I didn't think you'd want to spend two weeks in Wales in those fancy oxfords of yours.”

“Two weeks in… Merlin, what are you talking about?”

“Well, it was meant to be a surprise, sort of, but Gwen said I should probably tell you because knowing you you probably were planning some ridiculous trip of your own to celebrate getting out and- oh god, you've been planning some ridiculous trip of your owo celebrate getting out, haven't you?” Merlin's face automatically fell in horror. _Of_ _course_ Arthur had been planning something of his own! Arthur had probably made first class plane reservations for overseas and a fancier hotel than Merlin's savings could ever dream of and bloody Hamilton tickets, such was his luck! And of course they should do that first because Arthur spent all that money, and it might not be more than a drop in a bucket to him but it meant a lot to Merlin, and his mother wouldn’t mind waiting one more week, and well, Merlin really wanted to see Hamilton…

In all his panicking Merlin hardly noticed that Arthur had been silent for longer than normal. “Merlin. Love. I…” He reached for the silver ring that normally adorned his thumb but currently hung around Merlin's neck (because Arthur also had clown hands). Merlin knew that gesture. Arthur always played with his ring when he was nervous. “I'm not getting out end of August anymore.”

Merlin's panic faded and his heart sunk. He did his best to put on a brave smile, but he knew Arthur could see right through it. “Oh. Well I'm sure the brass must be impressed with you to want your squad to stay on to finish this op. Any idea of a new date?”

Arthur hung his head. “August 30... 2020.”

Merlin needed to call that psychiatrist Morgana used cure her night terrors. Obviously he’d started hallucinating. Obviously Arthur hadn't just said he was staying in the army for four more years.

But he had. “My CO came around today and asked if I was staying on, said she'd talked to my father and how I would be an excellent lifer and how proud he was of me and… I reupped, Merlin. I haven't signed the papers yet, but I told her I was staying.”

“Then untell her.”

“Merlin…”

“No. I waited, Arthur. I waited for you to come out to your father and I waited for you to be home on leave and I waited for you to be able to call each week and I waited for you to wake up next to me every morning instead of in the middle of a _fucking_ _war_ _zone_!”

Merlin slammed the computer shut on Arthur's angry retort, regretting the lost connection immediately. There wouldn't be another opportunity to talk for a week now. It hadn't mattered before. Before Arthur was supposed to be home in a week. But now… now Merlin had no idea when he would see Arthur again.

 

* * *

 

Arthur's flight was due to arrive three days after their intercontinental fight. Merlin was supposed to meet him at the airport. He'd planned to take him out for dinner before he had to drop him off at the base for a week of debriefing and whatever else they did at the end of a tour of duty. Now Merlin wasn't so sure Arthur would want him there. He knew how much Arthur craved his father's approval, and he hated when Merlin refused to understand it.

But Merlin needed to be there. He wanted to be there. He would never stop wanting to be with Arthur, even if that only meant a month for every year.

The plane landed and Merlin waited with baited breath for the first passengers to emerge. There was Arthur's best mate Leon, his favourite baby-faced squaddie Mordred. A handful of men and women Merlin vaguely recognised from two-second pixelated greetings over the years.

And then his breath was being squeezed out of him by a hug tight enough to break ribs.

“I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry.” Arthur's voice cracked in his ear, and Merlin couldn't help his own tears that streamed down his cheeks. “Please don't leave me. Please, I can't lose you.”

Merlin extricated himself from the death grip and cradled Arthur's face in his hands, lightly stroking a thumb over the bags under his lover’s eyes. “I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'll wait forever if that's what it takes.”

Arthur shook his head violently, trying to pull Merlin in close again as if afraid he might fade away. “You won't have to. I’m done. I won't make you wait for me ever again.” He leaned in for a desperate, bruising kiss. “Marry me.”

Merlin giggled, choking a bit on his tears. “So romantic, you demanding turniphead. If you can't be bothered to kneel you could have at least brought a ring.”

Arthur rested a hand on Merlin's chest, where a small lump could be seen through his shirt. “I gave you a ring ages ago. I'm sorry I made you wait to know what it meant.”

“Yes, that's a bit of a habit of yours.”

Arthur winced, but he couldn't help but mirror Merlin's watery smile. “Well are you going to give me your answer?”

Merlin made a brief show of thinking about it before he grinned brightly and nodded his wholehearted assent. As Arthur pulled him in for another kiss, he wondered if they had time to stop at the courthouse before Arthur had to be back on base.

The time for waiting was over.

 

 


End file.
